a man as he attempted to steal her hand bag (Three strikes, you're hoodwinked, 1994, p. 16). The perpetrator of this outrage had prior to the commission of this act been sentenced twice for crimes of violence (Three strikes, you're hoodwinked, 1994, p. 16). The brutal killing of Kimber Reynolds by a convicted violent offender spurred her father to begin an initiative signature campaign designed to place a proposition before California voters that would keep three-time offenders off the street (Gleick, 1994, pp. 51-52).
While the initiative signature drive was gaining momentum, the kidnapping and murder of 12-year old Polly Klaas further galvanized the California citizenry into demands for effective action to keep convicted violent offenders off the street ("3 strikes" now a political cry in California, 1994, p. B8). Polly Klaas, as was true of Kimber Reynolds, was killed by a man previously convicted for multiple violent offenses (Toobin, 1994, p. 38).
The efforts of Mike Reynolds, father of Kimber Reynolds, have been crucial in the effort to gain three strikes legislation in California, and this man's efforts remain a primary motivating force in the continuing efforts to strengthen incarceration laws applicable to violent offenses (Crime in California, 1994, p. 32). The Polly Klaas case, however, is the incident that riveted the attention of the majority of California's citizens on the issue (Toobin, 1994, p. 53).
At around 10:30PM on 1 October 1993, Allen Davis entered through an unlocked back door the house in which Polly Klaas lived with her mother in Petaluma (Toobin, 1994, p. 38). Polly Klaas's mother and half-sister were asleep, while she and two friends were enjoying a slumber party. Allen Davis bound the hands and covered the heads of Polly Klaas and her two friends. Davis then kidnapped Polly Klaas. Almost superhuman efforts were made by the citizens of Petaluma to locate Polly Klaas and return her safely home...